Hamas has enjoyed a plethora of sympathetic reporting from Western press (as illustrated in attached video) which many say has prolonged the war and given HAMAS cover to continue launching rockets at Israel.

The cease-fire that began early Saturday (local time) was initiated by Israel, giving Palestinians of whom many were used as human shields time to recover bodies and resupply households with essentials. The second 24-hour cease-fire was requested by the United Nations and approved by Israel.

Yesterday, HAMAS summarily rejected a cease-fire proposal by U.S. Sec. of State John Kerry.

HAMAS declined to participate in the ceasefire extension and immediately began firing rockets into Israel within an hour after the first 12-hour halt to fighting, even after Israeli unilaterally announced that it would extend the truce by four hours.

For its part, Israel's security cabinet approved the U.N. request to extend the truce by 24 hours, but reserved the right to "act against any breach of the ceasefire."

"All of us call on the parties to extend the humanitarian ceasefire that is currently underway," French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said after meeting with the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Qatar, Turkey and the U.S.

Talk of peace was quickly squashed as Hamas responded that it would not honor the 24-hour cease-fire extension, making it almost certain that more civilians will die as Hamas attacks Israel and Israel retaliates.

HAMAS has demanded an end to an Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza before agreeing to halt hostilities, a demand with very little chance of success. Israel cannot control Egypt’s government anymore than Egypt can control Tel Aviv.

HAMAS’ fighters typically launch their rockets from schools and hospitals making it all but certain there will be civilian casualties and maximum damage to Palestinian infrastructure.

On Monday morning, a number of students at El Dorado High School in Placentia, California discovered a teacher dead. Jillian Jacobson who taught photography, was found hanging from the ceiling inside a classroom in what seems to be a suicide.